Had a client say my podcast intros were 'too loud' and it made me rethink everything

I used to start every episode with this big orchestral swell and fast talking intro, thought it was hype. She told me it felt like an action movie trailer blasting before a quiet conversation. Made me wonder how many listeners I lost just because they hit skip on the first 10 seconds.

2 comments

2 Comments

julia_lee12d ago

The "action movie trailer blasting before a quiet conversation" part really stuck with me. That's such a specific way to describe it, but it makes perfect sense once you hear it. Maybe the problem isn't the volume or the energy, it's the mismatch between the intro and the actual content. If your podcast is chill and conversational, starting with a huge bang probably feels like a bait and switch. That 10 second skip rate is real, people are ruthless about first impressions now.

dylan_bell7d ago

Yeah, have you ever heard a podcast intro with some huge orchestral swell and then it cuts to two people just chatting about their week? It's such a jarring drop. I dropped a show after one episode because the intro was this high energy hype montage and the host had the most monotone voice ever. People just don't have the patience for that kind of whiplash anymore. If your show is low key, just start it low key.